Dispensing cigarette carton



Nov. 27, 1956 H. E. swEl-:NEY

DIsPENsING CIGARETTE CARTON Filed May 2, 1955 DISPENSING CIGARETTECARTGN Harter E. Sweeney, Lafayette, Ind.

Application May 2, 1955, Serial No. 505,451

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-56) This invention relates to a cigarette cartonconstruction.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a cigarette cartonof such construction and arrangement that it may readily be converted bythe purchaser into a gravity feed receptacle for mounting at aconvenient place in a house or building.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a carton ofsuch character and construction that it is equally as useful asconventional cartons in connection with the storage, shipment, displayand sale of cigarettes even though it has been formed to be readilyconverted into a gravity feed device.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide acigarette carton with means for preventing a predetermined number ofpacks therewithin from being gravity fed until desired. For example,means are provided to stop the two uppermost packs from descending inresponse to gravity so that when the user seem-s to be withoutadditional packs he actually has two left. This Will serve as a reminderthat the carton is about empty. By removing the stop means the two packsmay be gravity fed to the ejection point and, of course, used asdesired.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide meansWhich serves not only to stop the descent within the carton of apredetermined number of packs, but as well as a reminder medium whichmay be put in the wallet or purse of the user to remind him or her topurchase an additional carton.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of one side of the carton which is inupright position with one pack of cigarettes shown partially removed.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 except that the other side of thecarton is shown.

In the drawings the cigarette carton shown generally at is of that typeand character customarily displayed and used during the Christmasholidays. This carton is provided with a loose closure ap 11 adjacentits top side 12, and it is preferable that it be glued to that side, i.e. exteriorly of the carton, by the distributor after the tax stampingprocedure has been completed. The carton also comprises the ends 13, thebottom side 14, the back side 15 and the front side 16. Both ends 19 ofthe back side are free of the adjacent carton ends 13 to enable thatside to be readily opened to expose the packs for tax stamping purposes.

In order to enable the purchaser to remove easily and quickly a portionof the carton that must be removed in order to carry out the purpose ofthe invention there are provided the perforations or score lines 17, 18and 20 adjacent one end of the carton and in one side thereof. BYpunching or cutting out the portion United States Patent O of the cartonthus defined or bordered, the opening 21 is formed. The height of thisopening will be substantially equal to but slightly greater than thewidth of a normal package of cigarettes such as 22 and 23 so that thepacks may readily be ejected by normal nger pressure. The width of theopening is preferably the width of the carton side as shown andillustrated.

On the opposite or front side of the container are formed theperforations 24 herein shown to dene an elippse, although other shapedportions may be formed if desired. As will be observed by reference toFig. 2, an opening 25 is formed in that side of the carton by punchingor cutting out the portion or stop 26. This opening is long enough toexpose a portion of each of the two adjacent packages of cigarettes andis large enough to permit ready entry of a nger or thumb of the user sothat by pushing on one of the packs it may be forced out of the carton.At such time as it is forced out a sufcient distance, the user may thengrasp the pack with his foreinger and thumb and remove it all of the wayfrom the carton. At is apparent, the opening 25 is in alignment withopening 21.

The cutout or punch-out ellipse 26 is not discarded but is used as Vastop to prevent (so long as desired) the two uppermost packs from beingfed downwardly by gravity with the other packs. To this end a slot 27 isformed in the front or back side of the carton, it being sized to enablea suicient part of the stop to be extended therethrough to engage thebottom of the two uppermost packs and retain them in position until thestop is manually removed. The slot 27 can either be preformed in thecarton, or subsequently cut or punched out by the purchaser. In thelatter event it is preferable either to have perforations formed in theside in order to designate the proper position for the slot, or to havesome legend such as a line indicate the desired location.

In use, the distributor or other middle man will preferably glue thefree ap to the adjacent exterior side of the carton after the taxstamping procedure has been completed. Thus the inside of the carton isfree of any flaps or marginal obstructions that might impede the freesliding of the packs. When the purchaser of the carton arrives home hecan form the opening 21 by punching out or otherwise satisfactorilyremoving that punch-out portion of the carton defined by the score lines17, 18 and 20. He will also remove the elliptical portion and, afterfirst forming the slot, will insert that portion through the slot sothat it abuts the bottom of the two uppermost packs and prevents themfrom being gravity fed when the carton is in the upright position shownin Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to make it possible for the carton to be hung from nails orother supporting media driven into or secured to the wall of a room theopenings 28 are formed at opposite ends of the carton. These openingseach have slots 28a radiating outwardly therefrom in a vertical planerelative to the axis of the carton in order to pass, for example, thehead of a nail.

The carton may now be mounted upon the nails and supported in an uprightposition at two points instead of one, thereby preventing it fromswinging or pivoting arcuately. As the lowermost packs are removedthrough the finger ejection method heretofore described the upper packswill be fed by gravity to the bottom 13a. When the carton appears to beempty there will actually be two packs left therewithin. At this timethe user should remove stop 26 whereupon those packs will fall bygravity to the bottom of the carton from which they may be ejected whendesired. The stop is preferably placed in a wallet or purse so that itmay serve as a reminder that the smoker is down to his last two packs.

It is, of course, apparent that the various openings may ,he .iomlcd.911 opposite ,sides .to those `vshown and .illus- Y trated, if desired.

While the invention has rbeen illustrated and described f Y indetail'finnthetidrawings 'andtfotegoingzdesoniption, the

Sm'euis ot? b e;considered asjllustraiti've; and no restrictive fineh'a'racter, itxbeing'. nnderstoodfthat only theipreferredi.exnbodinientj has4 been I shown fand describedsan'd fthat: allVchanges :andmodtications thatv zcorne within-the :spirit :of

j -he ilentonrand thegscope of the :daim areialsoedesired t tobepxotectejd. Y

' means'to eject a package through said first opening, and a' L4 Y,saidrst portionisfonmedandinalignment.with.saiclrst portion, saidsecond portion being defined by perforations and removable to leave anopening for the reception of third punch-out portion defining -a slot ina side of said carton at a predetermined location in relation to twoadjacent packages nearest: an ,endaof said carton, said last mentionedportion beingdeined by perforations, said second portion'ibeing sized-tobeinsertedpartially through said slot4 for -abutnientwithrthebottom*of.said two adjacent packages of cigaretes. Y

References Cited inthe le of this patentY UNITED STATES PATENTS Y981,744 Bowditch Q. Jan. 17, 1911 2,056,032 Berman Sept. 29, 19362,549,568 Bolding Apr. $17.; .15954 Sta-dnyk Jan. 3, 1956 fue

